Hey beautiful people!  I have been trying to keep my product junkism at bay, and I have been doing a pretty good job at it.  However, courtesy of a tip on Long Hair Care Forum, I got wind of a clearance sale on Mielle Organics products, and picked up a few items.  Here are my thoughts:

Detangling Co-wash - 8 oz. ($11.99):  This co-wash is more of a conditioner than cleanser.  It has amazing slip and did a great job detangling my hair, but it didn’t clean it.  My hair felt coated before I used it, and it still felt coated after using it.  As a low porosity girl, I need a real cleanser.

White Peony Ultra Moisturizing Leave-In Conditioner - 8 oz. ($12.99):  As the name suggests, this product is moisturizing.  It is also light-weight, which is good for low porosity hair.  I just like my homemade spritz better, and it is cheaper.  Also, the spray nozzle on this product bothers me.  It comes out as a stream, rather than distributing across my hair.  I actually ended up transferring it to another bottle to make it easier to use.  However, in looking at the Mielle Organics website, it looks like they have changed the top to a spray pump, so that should fix this problem.

Avocado Moisturizing Hair Milk - 8 oz. ($12.99):  This is very moisturizing, and is probably my favorite product in the line.  My hair felt so soft after I used this.  Unfortunately, it doesn't absorb into my hair right away when I first put it on, but few things do.  The other downside I notice is that it clumps when I mixed it with EcoStyler gel in my hands, which is what I usually use to bun my hair.  Nevertheless, because of how wonderfully moisturized it makes my hair feel, I would repurchase this product.

Mint Almond Oil - 8 oz. ($12.99):  This is a very nice oil, and my second favorite product in the line.  It is lightweight enough for my low porosity strands, and the peppermint smell is heavenly.  The oil essentially has three main ingredients -- Sweet Almond Oil, Soybean Oil and Peppermint Oil, so you could make it yourself if you consider yourself a mixtress.  I would definitely purchase it again at the $7 price point I purchased it for, but it is not a repurchase for me at the regular price.  That being said, this isn't overpriced.  Peppermint oil is expensive.  I have seen a 4 oz. jar sell for $11.  It's just that I already have a bottle of peppermint oil that I haven't been able to use up in the past 5 years, and I typically buy a 32 oz bottle of avocado oil (my favorite straight oil) for about $15.  I do thank this product, however, for teaching me that I can add more peppermint oil to my other products without irritating my scalp.

Honey Ginger Edge Gel - 4 oz. ($12.99):   While I had high hopes, this edge gel suffered the same fate as many others.  It initially slicked down my edges, but that did not last long.  Thus far, it still remains that Eco Styler is one of the few things capable of slicking my edges long term.

I still want to try the Brazilian Curl Cream and the Honey & Ginger Styling Gel.  I guess I will just have to wait for another great sale.

Do you like this line?  What products do you use from it?

Hey, beautiful people.  It has been an awhile since I did an ingredient investigation, but I’ve had a burning question for a while now that I wanted to look into.  If you have read my blog for any period of time, you know that my hair does not really like coconut oil in stylers.  It leaves my hair feeling coated and hard.  That being said, my hair loves leave-ins with coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut fruit, like My Honey Child Coconut Hair Milk, Silk Dreams Mocha Silk Hair Milk and Aubrey Organics Island Replenishing Conditioner.  So, I decided to investigate the different types of coconut products, and how they are made.  Below is a summary of what I found.   

A green coconut (young coconut) starts off with coconut water and soft, gel-like meat.  As the coconut ages, the coconut has less water and the meat becomes more firm.  Coconut fruit is the “meat” inside the coconut.  Coconut milk is extracted from coconut fruit (frequently using water as part of the process), and coconut oil is extracted from coconut milk.  Thus, coconut oil has the least amount of water of the three.

One way to make coconut milk/oil is through a process called "wet-milling fermentation".  Freshly grated coconut is blended with water to make coconut milk.  The milk then sits for hours (sometimes overnight) so that it separates into a liquid and coconut cream/butter.  The coconut cream is scooped out, and boiled until the coconut solids fall to the bottom and turn brown.  Then, the oil is filtered, and Voila!

In case you are curious (I was), from what I've read, heating the milk to create the oil is actually good.  This particular wet-milling fermentation process produces the highest level of antioxidants in the coconut oil.  Both the oil and the anti-oxidants are thermally stable, so heating doesn't break them down.  In fact, simmering the cream for a long time at a high temperature dissolves more anti-oxidants into the oil!  Who knew.

Based on my research, I think the difference for me is that coconut oil is a purer concentration from the coconut, as opposed to coconut milk and coconut fruit, which have water.  Also, this explains why my hair likes co-washes and conditioners with coconut oil -- because I'm using them in the shower.  In essence, my hair only seems to like coconut when it is with a lot of water, probably to counteract the protein-like properties and because my hair generally loves things that have high water content. 

If you want to know more, I found a few great Youtube videos that show how coconut fruit is used to make coconut milk and coconut oil:

Hey, beautiful people!  I’m headed into the third trimester of my pregnancy.  Home stretch!  Since I found out I was pregnant, I’ve been reading up on what essential oils I can use during pregnancy because I use a number of them in my homemade moisture spritz and some of the products I buy use them as well.  As a result, I gave up my Rosemary essential oil early on.  I thought I would share what I've learned in case it helps someone else.  

Here is the list of essential oils that I have learned to avoid because they can be unsafe in undiluted, high doses (most of these are still ok in food, but not tea):

·         Nutmeg (may have hallucinogenic effects and react with pain-relieving drugs)

·         Rosemary (may cause contractions)

·         Basil (may contribute to abnormal cell development)

·         Jasmine (may cause contractions)

·         Clary sage (may cause contractions)

·         Sage and rose (may cause in-utero bleeding)

·         Juniper berry (may affect your kidneys)

·         Lemongrass (can cause miscarriage or defects)

·         Cinnamon

·         Wintergreen

Here are the ones that are supposed to be ok for uncomplicated pregnancies:

To be on the safe side, it is best to dilute any of these oils, rather than topically applying them straight out the bottle.  You should also still talk to your doctor about any essential oils you want to use.  For certain pregnancy complications and health conditions, you shouldn’t use any essential oils.  I always keep a running list of questions for my doctor to ask at each appointment.  If you don’t feel like you can ask your doctor every question you have, find a new doctor.

What Essential Oils Do You Use?

In case I have not mentioned it before, Avocado Oil is my favorite oil.  I personally think that it is underrated by the natural hair community, which frequently only talks about olive oil and coconut oil when discussing oils that penetrate the hair strand.  Avocado Oil is also easily absorbed into the hair strand and, to me, it feels like an amped up olive oil. It is high in monounsaturated fats, antioxidants like Vitamin E, and other nutrients.  While avocadoes themselves can be a source of protein, the oil is not usually a significant source of protein.  Due to its nutrients, Avocado Oil is great for deep conditioning, moisturizing, strengthening, smoothing, and creating shine.  It also has some sunscreen properties, but the SPF measured by labs varies from 4-15.

Have you tried Avocado Oil?  What do you think?